Senior Advisor and Team Leader, Environment and Climate Change

New Delhi

Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
Location: New Delhi
Grade: Mid level - NO-D, National Professional Officer - Locally recruited position
Occupational Groups:
- Environment
- Meteorology, Geology and Geography
- Resilience and Climate Change
- Climate Change
- Managerial positions
Closing Date: Closed

Background

UNDP Global Mission Statement:

UNDP is the UN’s global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP is on the ground in about 170 countries and territories, working with national counterparts on solutions to global and national development challenges.

UNDP India Mission Statement:

UNDP’s Country Programme in India is aimed at facilitating transformative change and development impact at scale by improving systems for service delivery, expanding livelihood opportunities, promoting environmental sustainability and resilience, and strengthening capacities and financing for accelerating SDG implementation.

Organizational Context

UNDP has worked in India since 1951 in almost all areas of human development, from systems and institutional

strengthening to inclusive growth and sustainable livelihoods, to sustainable energy, environment, and resilience. The Country Programme 2018-2022 was formulated in close consultation with the Government of India and guided by the UNDP Strategic Plan 2018-2021 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Framework for India 2018-2022. The Programme includes three outcomes: institutional and systems strengthening for service delivery; inclusive growth; and energy, environment, and resilience. This approach is underpinned by promoting multi-stakeholder partnerships and supporting innovations to transform traditional models of development.

Outcome 1, institutional and systems strengthening for service delivery, is anchored in the national priorities of e-governance, Digital India, citizen-centric service delivery, effective implementation, and effective justice delivery. This includes SDG planning, budgeting, coordination and monitoring and strengthening health and governance systems including through digital innovation.

Outcome 2, inclusive growth, is anchored in the national priority of accelerated growth with inclusion and equity, employment generation, and skill India. This includes facilitating partnership with state institutions, private sector and community groups to provide access to sustainable skills, jobs, livelihoods and productive assets, with a focus on women and youth.

Outcome 3, energy, environment and resilience, is anchored in the national priority of energy conservation and efficiency, environmental sustainability, stronger natural resource management, and community resilience. UNDP provides leadership support to the Government and its partners to promote innovation and deliver high quality results through Global Environment Facility (GEF) and climate financing, and leverages South-South exchange of policy, analysis and expertise. This includes addressing climate change, enhancing access to clean energy, improving management of hazardous chemicals and waste, and strengthening natural resource management and disaster resilience.

In this context, the Environment and Climate Change portfolio provides thought leadership on cross-cutting environment and sustainable development issues in India, and globally, to ensure that UNDP’s mandate of convening development partners in support of the national development agenda is amplified by internal knowledge, research, and stand-out policy advice, informed by a commitment to the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Senior Advisor and Team Leader leads the Country Office team in developing, designing and executing the Sustainability portfolio for UNDP India under the guidance of the Deputy Resident Representative. S/he also works in close collaboration with other policy and programme portfolios to ensure a collaborative and harmonized joint UNDP programme.

She/he ensures:

•Provision of quality policy advice services to the Government and facilitation of knowledge building and management.

•Alignment of the strategic direction of the programme with UNDP’s vision for India.

•Effective management of the programme portfolio and team.

•Advancement of strategic partnerships and resource mobilization and expansion of country portfolio.

The Senior Advisor and Team Leader also ensures thorough research and analysis of the India context in furthering and extending sustainability initiatives in line with UNDP’s priorities for the Country’s development, with special focus on sustainability, community development and economic wellbeing. He/she will also:

•Advocate with a variety of stakeholders for the implementation and embedding of sustainability initiatives in country programme design.

•Identify and develop strategic programme areas of cooperation.

•Actively participate in formulation of the Country Programme Document in collaboration with other partners.

•Identify possibilities for and contribution to joint programming.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

•Leads strategic policy and overall guidance for the Environment and Climate Change portfolio.

•Establishes and maintains strategic partnerships and leads resource mobilization.

•Ensures effective management of the country programme portfolio.

•Establishes and maintains strategic partnerships and supports resource mobilization.

1.Leads strategic policy and overall guidance for the Environment and Climate Change portfolio:

•Provides thought leadership and identifies strategic policy and programme issues in close collaboration with national partners;

•Guides, designs and formulates components of UNDP Sustainability portfolio translating programme priorities into local interventions and ensuring coordination and networking with clients, stakeholders and programme partners;

•Conducts thorough analysis of the political, social and economic situation in the country and collaborative preparation/revision of project documents and other documents in the area of Sustainability;

•Ensures contribution to the CPD though ongoing Sustainability programmes and projects and in collaboration with main partners and other UN agencies;

•Identifies opportunities for new programme/project development including joint programming with UN agencies;

•Collaborates with colleagues in Bangkok Regional Hub (BRH) and HQ to apply in country programming new global and regional initiatives, polices and knowledge products that further the Sustainability Portfolio.

2.Establishes and maintains strategic partnerships and leads resource mobilization:

•Leads and maintains strong and strategic working relations with Government counterparts as well as well as other national stakeholders and international partners;

•Explores and identifies new initiatives and partnerships for further UNDP engagement in India with a view to expand contribution to results in all UNDP mandated areas involving a broad range of stakeholders and to ensure sustainability and growth of the programme office;

•Promotes long-term sustainability and growth through the establishment of strategic partnerships with a variety of stakeholders and the securing of financial support by governments, international, public and private sector donors in the country;

•Engages proactively and closely with the UN Country Team with a view to design and implement joint programmes where relevant and participate in joint resource mobilization activities.

3.Ensures effective management of the country programme portfolio in compliance with UNDP policies:

•Leads, organizes and coordinates implementation of all Sustainability project activities in close collaboration with colleagues as well as with Headquarters and BRH as required;

•Coordinates and guides UNDP activities/programme/ projects in close coordination with national stakeholders;

•Liaises with Government counterparts, funding and development partners and other partners for the smooth implementation of activities;

•Manages the Portfolio team and provide proper guidance to and supervision of staff, employees and consultants;

•Prepares/produces a variety of written outputs, such as background papers, correspondence with governments, working papers, mission reports, analyses, briefings,

communication/visibility material, presentations, policy proposals and documents, regular and ad hoc reports;

•Conducts timely project, budget and grant reviews, revisions and monitoring, and complete related reporting obligations, in accordance with UNDP policies, UN rules and regulations as well as applicable donors’ requirements;

•Ensure sound design, planning, management and coordination associated with the design and implementation of the programme strategy, including by preparing thematic interventions, detailed and costed work and staffing plans for the timely and realistic achievement of projects’ objectives;

•Undertakes other tasks as required for the smooth implementation of the programme.

Establishes and maintains strategic partnerships and supports resource mobilization:

•Oversees and ensures effective CO partnerships and resource mobilization strategies to achieve programme outcomes;

•Develops ideas and concepts for possible areas of cooperation;

•Establishes close working relationships and creates programmatic linkages with relevant government agencies; UN Agencies, IFI’s, bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors, private sector and civil society;

•Suggests programmatic areas of co-operation based on UNDP´s strategic goals, country needs and donor priorities;

•Identifies funding opportunities for ongoing and new projects;

•Identifies and supports development of national partnerships for service provision to projects in areas such as monitoring, training, and others;

•Represents UNDP at external meetings within his/her area of programming.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

Innovation

Ability to make new and useful ideas work

Level 5: Creates new and relevant ideas and leads others to implement them

Leadership

Ability to persuade others to follow

Level 5: Plans and acts transparently, actively works to remove barriers

People Management

Ability to improve performance and satisfaction

Level 5: Models high professional standards and motivates excellence in others

Communication

Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform

Level 5: Gains trust of peers, partners, clients by presenting complex concepts in practical terms to others

Delivery

Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement

Level 5: Critically assesses value and relevance of existing policy / practice and contributes to enhanced delivery of products, services, and innovative solutions

Technical/Functional

Primary

Trends and emerging areas analytics

Ability to scan the horizon and identify approaches and initiatives to bring into environment and climate change policy and programme design

Level 5: Originate: Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise

Results-Based Management

Ability to manage programmes and projects with a strategy aimed at improved performance and demonstrable results

Level 5: Originate: Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise

Partnerships

Ability to engage with other agencies, donors, and other development stakeholders and forge productive working relationships

Level 5:Originate: Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise

Project Management

Ability to plan, organize, and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.

Level 5: Originate: Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise

Knowledge Management

Ability to efficiently handle and share information and knowledge

Level 5: Originate: Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise

Secondary

Resource Mobilization

Ability to identify and organize programmes and projects to implement solutions and generate resources (definition is unclear and not well linked to the stated competency)

Level 5: Originate: Catalyses new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise

Level 5: Integrate & Empower (Strategic Advisor)

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in an environmental discipline, political/social science, social affairs, law, international relations or related field, is required.

A first-level university degree in similar fields in combination with nine years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

•A minimum of 7 years with a Master’s degree or 9 years with Bachelor’s degree, of progressively responsible experience in environment, climate change or sustainability policy/programme/project management.

•Additional years of relevant professional experience highly desirable.

•Experience of working with UNDP or another UN agency would be an asset.

•Proven ability to work effectively in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams.

•Proven programme management experience with sound knowledge of all aspects of the project cycle (design, implementation, monitoring & evaluation).

•Strong interpersonal and written and oral communication skills

Language Requirements:

•Good written and spoken English.

•Fluency in national language.

Disclaimer

Important applicant information

All posts in the GS categories are subject to local recruitment.

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Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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